Five ways to re-Occupy in 2012

Since the protesters in Zuccotti Park who made headlines around the world were ousted from their New York City encampment in November, and other demonstrators were sent packing in cities across the country, observers have been left wondering whether the movement is on its deathbed or will transform and grow in the coming year.

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With that in mind, POLITICO asked cultural critics, advertising and messaging gurus, activists and others for their ideas about how Occupy can stay relevant.

OCCUPY CAMPUS

“Revolutions always start at universities.”

That’s the observation of Kalle Lasn, editor of the anti-consumerist magazine Adbusters, who believes the Occupy movement needs to go back to a step that it skipped and focus on energizing students around the county and the world.

Lasn has been credited for “branding” Occupy Wall Street after he and his colleagues unwittingly gave the Occupy protesters their permanent name when they created the hash tag #OccupyWallStreet on Twitter in July.

“Campuses are the hot pit of new ideas and youthful vigor and fervor. But because of the way Occupy started in Zuccotti Park, the campuses fell behind this time around. But in the coming year, they will be a critical battleground,” he told POLITICO. “If the global economic situation gets worse, which I think it will, I predict that there’s going to be a lot of turmoil in the economic departments of universities.”

Lasn says there already have been rumblings that the occupations of parks and public squares will be replaced by the occupation of university econ departments in 2012. He believes students should revolt against the outdated “Econ 101” foundation that has propped up economics curricula at universities for decades.

“We want to grab the old-school practitioners, grab them by the neck and throw them out, and hopefully a new generation of economists will rise up,” Lasn said. “We’re looking for bioeconomists, psychoeconomists, barefoot economists – people who go out into real places in the world and solve problems of people who are suffering.”

Lasn, who is currently writing a book called “Occupy Econ 101” – a “manifesto” of sorts for students interested in the Occupy Campus movement — contends that Occupy Wall Street has successfully rejuvenated the political left, and that the moment is ripe to tap into the energy and discontent of students.

“If the Occupy movement cannot take hold on campuses, then we might as well go home and have another beer,” he said.

Honest reporters would indicate how these "protesters" are nothing but a bunch of spoiled brat college kids who have never had a real job, never paid a mortgage, naive brats. The rest are union thugs with there hands out, bums with here hands out....

Gimme gimme gimme entitlement bums.

left wing Politico can push these bums all they want, but these are still bums

'Occupy' astro-turfing never was relevant, despite the best efforts of the media to make it so.

It was a manufactured distraction intended to divert attention away from the failures of Keynesian economics, Obama policies, and 'progressivism' in general. People recognized it as such from the very start.

They will winter in mommie's basement, get their STDs treated and return in the spring. When you provide free food, free sex (willing or unwilling), free housing, abundant drugs and the weekly riot, you will always be able to attract useful idiots. The organizers should have to post bonds against damage, arrange to pay for police overtime and apply for parade permits each day.

“‘I want economic justice,’ is a powerful message, but ‘I want money to be distributed more equally’ is not only not powerful, worse, it falls into a socialist paradigm.”

Totally and completely socialist. This is not that it sounds socialist, it is simply socialist. Taking from one what the one possesses through his own efforts to provide it to another that has not produced it is simply the end of the world as we know it. Look to Western Europe, look to half of South America, look to Russia, look to Cuba, look to North Korea, look to Venezuela or any other socialist cesspool you would like. It is quite obvious that the socialist “ideal” does not work. Freedom works as a free people will work for their own ends. Socialism will not work because the least, laziest, weakest set the standard and it will continue to fall until the only person left working gives up and takes the socialist path. Then anarchy and a world full of individual survivalists, the Dark Ages.

Øccupy is a movment of Communists mixed with rapists, theives, child molesters, drug peddlers, defecators on public property, vandals, and whiny, lazy, Leftists.

Politico has now officially hitched it's wagon to them with one of these "let's come up with idea's on how to sustain the movement" articles.

But then again we already knew that Politico is one of the most Left Wing biased propaganda organs for the Democrats in existance today. And thus, there is no credibility when an organization that attempts to hold itself out as "non-biased" media, has such political bias.

First, I thought this was a grass roots movement? Second what relevance? When these folks go home, they will have accomplished nothing other than some entertaining YouTube videos and will be forgotten about.

OWS was never relevant, it was just street theater to take the heat off obama for his terribly failing presidency. I visited the Des Moines, IA OWS site Christmas Day - not a sole there, just their left over tents making the corner of SE 14th and Grand look trashed. Too bad Gov Branstadt allows them to stay and ruin the neighborhood.

So, where do I send my resume for these jobs you want the Occupiers to Occupy?

I don't know about you but I admire the commitment these young people have made to changing the direction our Country is going in.

Last month they occupied the home of a disabled Vet who was being forclosed on by Chase bank, in the Atlanta area. They forced the bank to negotiate a fairer rate on her loan. Now this woman who was injured fighting the Bush/Cheney war can keep her children sheltered.

But what I find more interesting about your comments is the cavalier way in which you have dismissed people who are exerting their constitutional right to peaceably assemble, as did the Tea Party. However, our young people didn't carry their guns with them.

So, where do I send my resume for these jobs you want the Occupiers to Occupy?

I don't know about you but I admire the commitment these young people have made to changing the direction our Country is going in.

Last month they occupied the home of a disabled Vet who was being forclosed on by Chase bank, in the Atlanta area. They forced the bank to negotiate a fairer rate on her loan. Now this woman who was injured fighting the Bush/Cheney war can keep her children sheltered.

But what I find more interesting about your comments is the cavalier way in which you have dismissed people who are exerting their constitutional right to peaceably assemble, as did the Tea Party. This differnce being our young people didn't carry their guns with them.

My suggestion to you is that you celebrate the involvement of young people who are willing to become involved in our poltical process. It beats the hell out of accepting the status quo as something that can't be changed.

So, where do I send my resume for these jobs you want the Occupiers to Occupy?

I don't know about you but I admire the commitment these young people have made to changing the direction our Country is going in.

Last month they occupied the home of a disabled Vet who was being forclosed on by Chase bank, in the Atlanta area. They forced the bank to negotiate a fairer rate on her loan. Now this woman who was injured fighting the Bush/Cheney war can keep her children sheltered.

But what I find more interesting about your comments is the cavalier way in which you have dismissed people who are exerting their constitutional right to peaceably assemble, as did the Tea Party. This differnce being our young people didn't carry their guns with them.

My suggestion to you is that you celebrate the involvement of young people who are willing to become involved in our poltical process. It beats the hell out of accepting the status quo as something that can't be changed.